California’s Madre Fire surges across 52,000 acres to become state’s biggest blaze this year

The Madre Fire has become California’s largest wildfire of the year after it spread to more than 52,000 acres in under 48 hours.

In a historic year of deadly brush fires for the state, the blaze erupted Wednesday afternoon in the remote Los Padres National Forest in San Luis Obispo County, about 120 miles northwest of Los Angeles.